Is there something extra historically romantic than asking for a lady to marry you with a fantastically sculpted diamond ring? Recently, I used to be doing my common buzzing across the kitchen whereas I began to cook dinner one thing for my husband.
I began singing to myself a traditional tune you would possibly pay attention to, “Diamonds Are A Woman’s Finest Buddy.” It was a part of a musical referred to as Gents Favor Blondes.
I ended cooking for a second and thought concerning the music. After which I believed concerning the period. After which? All I might consider was what a darkish, darkish secret that little music held.
First, let’s speak about why diamonds are so dear and coveted as presents.
Diamond rings, diamond bracelets…these have been tokens of affection solely since De Beers and a advertising and marketing firm created a convention of a marriage proposal involving a diamond ring again within the Nineteen Thirties.
De Beers was well-known for inflating the value of diamonds, which in flip, made them a significant standing image. In fact, diamonds aren’t as uncommon as individuals make them out to be. They’re pretty widespread in comparison with emeralds or rubies.
Regardless of their novelty within the enviornment of standing symbols, diamonds have numerous cultural clout behind them. By the Nineteen Forties, girls had been clamoring for diamonds as an engagement ring.
Diamonds turned the midcentury image of real love. Previous to that, engagement rings can be manufactured from semiprecious stones as an alternative. Now that we’ve bought that into perspective, let’s speak concerning the girls of the day.
One of many little-discussed feminist problems with yesteryear is how girls couldn’t management cash.
Previous to the feminist motion, girls weren’t allowed to open up their very own financial institution accounts or get bank cards. Credit score and different main monetary freedoms had been solely given freely to males up till the 60s and 70s.
Previous to that, girls needed to get a signature from a husband to get a checking account in most banks. Uncommon was the financial institution prepared to work with any girl in any respect, particularly if she was a singleton.
That signifies that being with a person was the one option to get your funds so as until you had been an heiress or someway had been in a position to open up a enterprise.
The factor is, you want cash to stay. And it is advisable have a option to keep issues in case your husband dies or if it is advisable bail. You’ll be able to’t have a checking account on a regular basis, and a bank card? Not a factor on the time.
Let’s say it is advisable flee somebody instantly or keep solo for one motive or one other as a lady. You’ll be able to’t all the time depend on banks to be there and at occasions, a paper path may cause issues.
So what do you do…?
You promote what you must survive or drum up the funds.
Diamonds had been a woman’s greatest pal for a similar motive they had been a pimp’s greatest pal.
I’ll allow you to in on a bit secret that I realized from a man I knew in NYC for some time. He was a son of a pimp — actually. As in, his dad married his prostitute, and he was born from that union.
He took up the household enterprise and likewise took up old-school cash administration abilities. How do I do know? Easy. He had an enormous, large ring manufactured from 18K gold with large diamonds on them. I ultimately requested him why he all the time wore that ring.
I believed it was costume jewellery.
He checked out me and advised me, “If I get locked up, I give this to a woman I’m with, she pawns it for bail cash. It’s what my dad taught me to do. Diamonds aren’t on the books and so they don’t normally get confiscated by police.”
That is additionally why you hear about wealthy girls who insist on their husbands shopping for them jewellery each time they cheat and get caught. They’re rising their very own stockpile of wealth that may’t be touched in a divorce as a result of it was a present to the jilted spouse.
The rationale why girls are shedding curiosity in costly jewellery lies in how our society modified.
As an individual who’s below the age of 40, I don’t actually hear girls my age and youthful speak about fancy jewels. In reality, I’m fairly positive that I’m the one one in my artwork crew who is aware of the distinction between a sq., princess, and cabochon minimize.
It is a signal of progress, imagine it or not.
The rationale girls my age and youthful aren’t as or educated about fancy jewels lies in what we now have entry to: monetary freedom. We don’t want diamonds to guard us the way in which we did up to now.
Diamonds had been there to guard girls financially in a system that always failed them. They had been a woman’s greatest pal as a result of individuals might all the time betray you, however cash by no means would. And when the chances of getting cash had been in opposition to you, a diamond made a world of distinction.
As for me? I’ll personally by no means flip down some good bling, however I believe it completely rocks that I don’t must rely on gem stones to save lots of myself from destitution.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a author whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Each day Dish, Newtheory Journal, and others.
This text was initially revealed at Ossiana Tepfenhart. Reprinted with permission from the writer.
